I found Pyre enthralling with the elaborate worldbuilding and the likable characters (Go Ti'zo!). The RPG/sports tournament crossover seemed hit-or-miss for me at first but after a few rounds getting familiar with the mechanics it was great fun. However, I disagree a bit with you about the importance of the decisions and match outcomes within the game as they mostly added flavor text and there was no story branching until the very end. That doesn't make the game any less enjoyable though!